TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — An updated study shared by FloridaBet claims that Florida’s rank among the luckiest or least lucky states in the country has changed since 2022.
Rather than remain as the 17th least lucky state in the US, Florida has risen to be the least lucky state of the union, when comparing data for life expectancy, mortality, divorce, disasters, and more.
The updated index shared by FloridaBet said that Florida “takes the crown as America’s unluckiest state, receiving the highest score of 64.7 out of 100.” The state was reported to have the sixth highest percent of divorces leading up to 2023, as well as the highest number of lightning fatalities since 1952.
| Least Lucky | State | Index Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 64.7 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 64.0 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 60.2 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 58.7 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 58.0 |
| 6 | Mississippi | 56.8 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 56.8 |
| 8 | Alabama | 56.7 |
| 9 | New Mexico | 56.3 |
| 10 | Vermont | 55.4 |
Florida’s rank change made it jump multiple spots, now eclipsing 2022’s least lucky state West Virginia, though as far as least amount of happiness, generally, the now unseated state is still the winner, according to the data shared by FloridaBet.
Along with the shared data set, FloridaBet said their analysis was based on data from World Population Review, the National Weather Service, lottery winner statistics, disaster data from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The methodology notes said that the metrics chosen were weighted based on the possibility of occurring, as well as comparing work life and safety to education and infrastructure, and personal income and divorce rates by state.
